Polls and more

Post Racial or Black Spoils System?

Barack Obama found his first sermon at Jeremiah Wright's church so inspiring he quoted from it for his book, The Audacity of Hope: "WHITE FOLKS' GREED RUNS A WORLD IN NEED." But when he took his first step on the national political stage during the 2004 Democratic National Convention, HE TOOK A DIFFERENT TACK FOR THE MASSES WATCHING ON TELEVISION: "THERE'S NOT A BLACK AMERICA AND WHITE AMERICA AND LATINO AMERICA AND ASIAN AMERICA; THERE'S THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA."

SO WHICH BARACK OBAMA IS THE REAL ONE? The one who had no qualms attending with his wife and young daughters the church of a race-baiting minister whom Obama called his moral compass, or the one who downplayed race during the campaign and promised to unite us all as Americans, regardless of the color of our skin?

After two and one-half years of the Obama presidency, the real Barack Obama has emerged: one who hands out tax dollars, pushes policies, and formulates rules and regulations TO GIVE PREFERENCE TO BLACK AMERICANS….

http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/08/obamas_racial_spoils_system.html

The irony of this is while Obama is giving government handouts to blacks, they need it more because these same policies have hurt black Americans in the private economy more.

Obama’s Defining Moment

There comes a time and a point in history which indelibly define a President. Oftentimes the event may not be of major import in the greater scheme of things but the management of it is of such prominence that the success or failure in the handling of the issue is permanently attached to the individual. Such a moment has happened to Barack Obama. HIS INCOMPETENCE, INABILITY TO LEAD, PREVARICATIONS, PETULANCE AND IMMATURITY IN THE DEBT CEILING CRISIS HAVE INDELIBLY CREATED AN IMAGE OF ABJECT FAILURE IN THE MINDS OF A CRITICAL MASS OF PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES AND AROUND THE GLOBE. He will never be able to overcome the portrait that has been etched in too many minds.

BARACK OBAMA'S ONLY INTEREST IN THE DEBT CEILING DEBATE WAS TO RAISE THE BORROWING LIMIT SUFFICIENTLY TO GET BY THE NEXT ELECTION, and as a cudgel to denigrate the Republicans. His concern was not for the American people and the impact of overwhelming national debt, nor an impending and inevitable credit downgrade. Rather, he was determined that raising the debt ceiling would not become an issue during the presidential campaign. Thus, spending cuts created out of whole cloth, combined with tax increases aimed at stoking the embers of class envy, were bandied about by his party in order to justify an increase in the debt ceiling of $2.4 Trillion.

http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/08/obamas_failed_presidency.html

I will disagree with one point here. Obama’s didn’t just have one interest (getting the debt ceiling raised beyond the next election) but a second one as well. The gyration the Democrats went through was to try to blame the Republicans for any failure in the process.

So How’s That Hopey-Changey Thing Working Out For Obama?

…As one result, not only did Obama's overall job approval sink to 40%, lowest of his 923 days in office.

But a new Rasmussen Reports national survey of likely voters out Sunday night REVEALED A SHARP JUMP IN THE NUMBER OF AMERICANS WHO FIND THIS DEMOCRATIC CHIEF EXECUTIVE TO BE "TOO CONFRONTATIONAL" IN HIS NATIONAL LEADERSHIP APPROACH.

NEARLY ONE IN THREE (30%) NOW SAY THAT ABOUT THE MAN WHO WAS GOING TO CHANGE WASHINGTON'S HARSH PARTISAN ATMOSPHERE. That's the highest percentage in 16 months and UP NINE POINTS IN JUST FOUR WEEKS.

On his first day in office more than a trillion dollars ago in 2009, 64% CALLED OBAMA A GOOD OR EXCELLENT LEADER. THAT NUMBER HAS SINCE SLID TO 42%. Those who consider him a poor leader have increased to 41%.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2011/07/debt-deal-boehner-mcconnell-obama-reid.html

The polls are not good for President Obama. Even more worrisome is the state of the independent voter mention in the next story.

The Numbers Don’t Look Good For President Obama

Gallup is the gold standard when it comes to approval ratings for presidents, so last week's assessment by the polling company of the president's standing in the public SURELY SHOCKED THE OBAMA LOYALISTS WHO THOUGHT THAT THE BATTLE OVER THE DEBT CEILING HAD ALLOWED THEIR GUY TO SHINE.

Certainly he had every chance to make his case to the public, with press conference after press conference and a prime-time speech to boot….

….That only 13 percent of Republicans applauded Obama wasn't all that surprising. The president's harsh and hyperpartisan rhetoric had guaranteed that the GOP faithful would give up on the man from "Hope and Change."

THE UNDERWHELMING SHOWING AMONG DEMOCRATS WHERE 72 PERCENT SUPPORT THE PRESIDENT WAS SOMETHING OF A SHOCK. Gallup didn't provide the breakdown of African-American Democrats versus all others, but that underwhelming 72 percent has to be lifted by his still high standing in the black community.

IT WAS THE VERDICT OF THE INDEPENDENTS, HOWEVER, THAT REALLY MUST HAVE ROCKED THE WHITE HOUSE and the Chicago gang that had so carefully crafted the president's endless loop of buzz words about "balance," "compromise" and the "adult in the room": ONLY 34 PERCENT OF THESE VOTERS SUPPORT THE PRESIDENT.

Thirty-four percent of the great middle-of-the-road-undecided-open-to-the-best-man-and-argument Americans. To quote the Bob Dylan song, "Things have changed."

THESE NUMBERS ROLLED IN BEFORE THE PUBLIC GOT WORD THAT THE ECONOMIC GROWTH RATE HAD DIPPED AGAIN TO A SCARCELY VISIBLE 1.3 PERCENT IN THE LAST QUARTER….

http://washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/2011/07/signs-failure-emerging-obamas-poll-numbers#ixzz1TmtFlMDY

Numbers like these are poison, not just to Obama, but to the Democratic Party as well. When a team rolls up a losing streak like they have, the fans quit coming to the games. And that means a depressed turnout for the Democrats in 2012.

Who won? I’ll have a Spot of TEA

IF A GOOD POLITICAL COMPROMISE IS ONE THAT HAS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE TO HATE, THEN LAST NIGHT'S BIPARTISAN DEBT-CEILING DEAL IS A TRIUMPH. The bargain is nonetheless better than what seemed achievable in recent days, especially given the revolt of some GOP conservatives that gave the White House and Democrats more political leverage.

THE BIG PICTURE IS THAT THE DEAL IS A VICTORY FOR THE CAUSE OF SMALLER GOVERNMENT, arguably the biggest since welfare reform in 1996. Most bipartisan budget deals trade tax increases that are immediate for spending cuts that turn out to be fictional. This one includes no immediate tax increases, despite President Obama's demand as recently as last Monday. THE IMMEDIATE SPENDING CUTS ARE REAL, IF SMALLER THAN WE'D PREFER, AND THE LONGER-TERM CUTS COULD BE REAL IF REPUBLICANS HOLD CONGRESS AND CONTINUE TO ENFORCE THE DEAL'S SPENDING CAPS.

The framework (we haven't seen all the details) calls for an initial step of some $900 billion in domestic discretionary cuts over 10 years from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) baseline puffed up by recent spending. IF THE CUTS HOLD, THIS WOULD GO SOME WAY TO ERASING THE FISCAL DAMAGE FROM THE OBAMA-NANCY PELOSI STIMULUS. This is no small achievement considering that Republicans control neither the Senate nor the White House, and it underscores how much the GOP victory in November has reshaped the U.S. fiscal debate.
No wonder liberals are howling. THEY HAVE COME TO BELIEVE IN THE UPWARD SPENDING RATCHET, UNDER WHICH ALL SPENDING INCREASES ARE PERMANENT. NOT ANY MORE….

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903341404576480653492061150.html?mod=rss_opinion_main

That last paragraph is very important. Obama and the Democrats have proceeded as if the 25% spending level by the feds was permanent; hence the call of revenue increases. God bless the TEA Party. 
Why we should reelect President Obama (Satire)

I think we really have a winner as president, don’t you? BARACK OBAMA HAS BEEN DOING A GREAT JOB RUNNING THE COUNTRY, ALWAYS OUT THERE DOING… STUFF. LOTS OF STUFF. BIG STUFF. PRESIDENT STUFF. We’re lucky we have this guy, and it should be an easy decision to keep him around for another four years.

Now, there are people who say Obama has done an awful job. They go on and on about how he has no idea what he’s doing in the Middle East and cite all these statistics that show how bad the economy is, and it’s all rather dreary and depressing. No one needs that. Plus the suggestion that Obama has done a bad job as president is ludicrous. Quick question: HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ANYONE GO UP TO OBAMA AND SAY, “I WOULD LIKE A DOZEN TULIPS”? NO, OF COURSE NOT. NO ONE THINKS HE’S A FLORIST. IT’S CLEAR FROM THE JOB HE’S DOING THAT HE’S THE PRESIDENT. SO HOW BAD A JOB COULD HE BE DOING AS PRESIDENT IF IT’S SO EASILY RECOGNIZABLE THAT HE IS THE PRESIDENT? LOGIC, PEOPLE.

And the GUY HAS DONE ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING HE’S PROMISED… that’s mattered. Like remember how he said HE WAS GOING TO PASS A BIG STIMULUS AND KEEP UNEMPLOYMENT FROM BEING 8%? WELL, HE PASSED HIS STIMULUS, AND NOW UNEMPLOYMENT… IS NOT 8%. It’s an entirely different number than that. If you really didn’t want 8% unemployment, well guess what: You’re not dealing with that level of unemployment. Promise kept. And look at all the work he did for it: He spent $666 billion to bypass 8%
unemployment. COULD YOU SPEND THAT MUCH MONEY? NO WAY. If I sat you down in front of a computer, logged you in to Amazon, and said, “Spend $666 billion,” it would be futile. You’d be clicking “Buy Now” until your mouse broke. BUT OBAMA DID IT; THE MAN’S GOT HUSTLE….

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/why-obama-should-be-re-elected/

Sigh, it appears unless you are a left wing extremist, the only thing you can write about Obama deserving reelection is satire.

Losing Faith

Liberals are already licking their wounds from the debt ceiling debate, wondering how it is that Republicans managed to get Democrats to abandon tax increases and shift the terms to spending cuts and entitlement reforms….

…THE LEFT DID LOSE–OR, MORE PRECISELY, IT LOST MORE THAN CONSERVATIVES DID–partly because it has failed to confront economic and financial reality.
In April, when Standard & Poor’s first warned of a possible downgrade in the U.S. credit rating, the White House reacted with denial. President Barack Obama’s chief economic adviser, Austan Goolsbee, said that S&P’s warning was a “political judgment” that didn’t deserve “too much weight.”…

…But THE REALITY OF OBAMA’S ECONOMIC FAILURE IS FORCING DEMOCRATS TO BACK DOWN FROM TAX HIKES, just as they did when they controlled both houses of Congress in December 2010, and extended the 2001 & 2003 tax cuts anyway….

…THE DEMOCRATS DID THEMSELVES NO FAVORS BY EXAGGERATING THE REALITY OF THAT THREAT. Only some Tea Party Republicans were adamantly opposed to raising the debt ceiling under any circumstances. Yet when Democrats tried to pressure the GOP by casting the Tea Party (falsely) as “extremists” who were prepared to cast the country into default, they actually increased the Tea Party’s leverage and the GOP’s ability to force concessions.

Another reason that the Democrats did badly was they relied too heavily on Obama, who is a very poor negotiator. HIS TACTIC WAS TO USE THE MEDIA AND LEFT-WING “COMMUNITY ORGANIZING” GROUPS–LED BY VAN JONES AND MOVEON.ORG–TO PRESSURE REPUBLICANS TO COMPROMISE. Yet Obama had killed the left’s enthusiasm earlier in the debate when he pretended that he might be willing to discuss changes to Social Security and Medicare.
But finally, and most importantly, DEMOCRATS LOST THE DEBT CEILING DEBATE BECAUSE MANY, AT BOTTOM, DO NOT BELIEVE THEIR OWN IDEAS.

http://biggovernment.com/jpollak/2011/08/01/democrats-lost-the-debt-ceiling-debate-because-they-no-longer-believe-in-their-own-policies-or-their-leader/

China is still called Communist China, but China is no longer a Communist state. It has lost belief in the tenants of Communism just as the liberals seem to mouth the words, but don’t seem to actually believe what they are saying. The liberal prescriptions for the economy have failed badly and they know it. Unfortunately for them, so do the American people.

China on the brink?

The world's biggest computer components vendor plans to replace nearly its entire factory workforce with robots by 2014.

FOXCONN, WHICH MAKES KIT FOR APPLE, SONY AND NOKIA, SAID IT WOULD CUT LOOSE STAFF AND REDUCE LABOUR COSTS BY AUTOMATING SPRAYING, WELDING AND ASSEMBLING JOBS AT ITS FACTORIES IN CHINA, where harsh working conditions have been blamed for a series of suicides at the company.

According to a report on official Chinese news agency Xinhua, which quotes Foxconn founder and chairman Terry Gou, THE FIRM CURRENTLY HAS 10,000 ROBOTS WORKING ON THE PRODUCTION LINE.

FOXCONN PLANS TO INCREASE THAT NUMBER TO 300,000 OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT YEAR, AND HOPES TO HAVE 1 MILLION ROBOTS EFFECTIVELY RUNNING THE SHOW BY 2014.

It currently employs 1.2 million meat-based workers, with the majority of them based on mainland China.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/08/01/foxconn_1_million_robots/

It’s interesting. In Rome in 68 AD, a worker came to the emperor Vespasian with a labor saving device in the building trades (they were building the Coliseum at the time). Vespasian rewarded the worker but killed the idea so as to not take jobs away from Romans. Some people might think of this as enlightened. But I look at Roman technology and see how they failed to exploit it and bypassed what could have moved the world ahead much further earlier than we did (See Heron of Alexandria).


Just for Fun: 25 Things that You Probably Didn’t Know Had Names.

How about Dysania? We’ve all been there. Or Wamble? Another common occurrence.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/25-everyday-things-you-never-knew-had-names

Nothing but Obama

The Great Orator? Not so much.

When President Obama started talking at his news conference Monday, I listened intently for 15 minutes or so. Then I got fidgety as his half-truths about the debt grew into full-blown whoppers. As he droned on, I did something I never did before during an Obama appearance: I TURNED OFF THE TV.

Enough. HE IS THE MAN WHO WON'T LISTEN TO ANYBODY, so why should anybody listen to him?

Tuning out and turning off the president does not fill me with gladness. He cannot be ignored.
But for now, I will leave that unhappy duty to others. I AM TIRED OF BARACK OBAMA. THERE'S NOTHING NEW THERE. HIS SPEECHES ARE LIKE "GROUNDHOG DAY." …

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/us_too_dumb_to_know_is_always_right_G4K8WElXRNRR8NvsXQAz0H#ixzz1S5GDpN5M

I think even Obama’s supporters would probably admit this is true. We now know that without a teleprompter and without being able to attack George Bush, Obama seems more than a bit mortal even in his rhetoric.

The Post Partisan President? Not really.

That was then, this is now, and POLITICS IS STILL THE NAME OF THE GAME. What's going on in Washington isn't a serious conversation about how to halt and reverse the ruinous growth of federal spending, but the usual jockeying for position as election season approaches.

How else to explain Obama's adamant refusal to put some serious numbers on the table? The administration's talks with the GOP leadership broke down over the weekend largely because the president is only willing to offer -- wait for it -- A GRAND TOTAL OF $2 BILLION IN REAL SPENDING CUTS IN 2012.

That's it -- $2 billion with a "b," out of a projected deficit of more than a trillion dollars. No wonder SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH MCCONNELL SAID THAT NO SOLUTION TO THE DEBT PROBLEM IS POSSIBLE AS LONG AS OBAMA IS IN OFFICE.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/the_comedian_in_chief_dUjUlGMZt4xcT4awrHrqbN#ixzz1S5IVczex

You hear a lot of hearsay about what is going on, but this is reality. Obama is offering cuts that amount to less than .05% of the budget. Let’s say you earn $100,000 per year. That would be the equivalent of you cutting your spending by $50. No Starbucks for two weeks!!!

Super bright President? More than a little questionable.

“Eric, don’t call my bluff.” Obama to Eric Cantor in the debt limit negotiations—

Do you really want to tell the other side you are bluffing? Is this a sign of a super bright person?
Read about his other gaffes here

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=44749



Deficit Reducer? Not a chance

….Yet the $4 trillion in deficit reduction that MR. OBAMA TALKS ABOUT IS SHY ON DETAILS. NO ONE WHO'S ATTENDED HIS FREQUENT NEGOTIATING SESSIONS KNOWS WHAT HIS PROPOSAL REALLY IS.

The president has made a bipartisan agreement even more difficult by declaring certain spending off-limits to cuts. MR. OBAMA'S "UNTOUCHABLE" LIST INCLUDES HIS $1 TRILLION HEALTH-CARE REFORM, $128 BILLION IN UNSPENT STIMULUS FUNDS, EDUCATION AND TRAINING OUTLAYS, HIS $53 BILLION HIGH-SPEED RAIL PROPOSAL, SPENDING ON "GREEN" JOBS AND STUDENT LOANS, AND VIRTUALLY ANY STRUCTURAL CHANGES TO ENTITLEMENTS except further squeezing payments to doctors, hospitals and health-care professionals.

Mr. Obama has offered no evidence since becoming president that he wants to restrain the upward trajectory of government spending. HE DOES WANT HIGHER TAXES TO PAY FOR SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER FEDERAL SPENDING. But he wants Republicans to deliver the tax increases, since Democrats couldn't pass them last year despite controlling both chambers of Congress….

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304911104576443863077227784.html?
mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop
Obama has been angling to have Americans look at him as if he is the adult in these negotiations. In reality his is the petulant child refusing not only to eat his peas, but demanding that he get desert first.

Obama, the Presidential Candidate Leader for 2012: Not now.

PRINCETON, NJ -- Registered voters by a significant margin now say they are more likely to vote for THE "REPUBLICAN PARTY'S CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT" THAN FOR PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA IN THE 2012 ELECTION, 47% TO 39%. Preferences had been fairly evenly divided this year in this test of Obama's re-election prospects.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/148487/Republican-Candidate-Extends-Lead-Obama.aspx

Once again we see the independent voters breaking for the Republicans by 10% right now.

A Man with a Plan? Not BHO

THE HOUSE REPUBLICANS HAVE A POSITION ON THE DEBT REFORM THAT IS SUBSTANTIVELY SOUND AND POLITICALLY ATTUNED TO THEIR BASE: cuts greater than the amount which the debt ceiling will be raised. There is no indication that Democrats or the president will accept that.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R- KY.) HAS A PLAN, which isn’t ideal unless you think a bipartisan deal is possible or you think Republicans won’t be blamed for a default.

THE PRESIDENT TOOK A WALK, ABRUPTLY LEAVING THE WHITE HOUSE MEETING. Democrats say he was “badgered” by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) Heavens, can’t have that. HE ALSO HAS NO VIABLE PLAN THAT CAN PASS THE HOUSE (OR EVEN THE SENATE).

So where are we? Yesterday Cantor reiterated, “THOUGH NONE OF THE PLANS BEING DISCUSSED RIGHT NOW COULD GARNER THE 218 VOTES NEEDED FOR HOUSE PASSAGE, WE HAVE FOUND AREAS OF AGREEMENT.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/post/a-position-a-plan-and-a-walk/2011/03/29/gIQATRSoDI_blog.html

Walking out on the negotiations! Because he was “badgered” by Eric Cantor??? No wonder he told him not to call his “bluff.” Bachmann is looking more presidential each day compared to the guy we have in the White House now.

A Post Racial President? Doesn’t look like it

By now, almost everyone has seen one of the semi-amusing videos of black teen mobs rampaging through a store. Maybe we've even seen the non-amusing pictures of the victims, or heard their stories. MOST AMERICANS HAVE HEARD OF RECENT VIOLENT "FLASH MOBS," WHICH ARE THE BANDS OF BLACK TEENS THAT ATTACK MOSTLY WHITE VICTIMS AND WHITE BUSINESSES, as even the New York Times once noted.

BUT THE FLASH MOBS, WHICH ARE MORE ACCURATELY CALLED "RACE RIOTS" OR "RACIAL MOB VIOLENCE," are not the only interesting topic to cover in our national conversation about race. There is also the "knockout game," which is stunning in its brutal simplicity and stark racial significance.

THE KNOCKOUT GAME INVOLVES "UNPROVOKED ATTACKS ON INNOCENT BYSTANDERS," according to police who have had to deal with it. A retired officer explained, "Normally it was a group of black males, one of which would strike him as hard as he could in the face, attempting to knock him out with one punch," says retired Sgt. Don Pizzo. The victims are typically not robbed, but simply punched with no provocation. Such attacks have been reported in Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, and New Jersey.

http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/07/the_knockout_game_racial_violence_and_the_conspicuous_silence_of_the_media.html

One person has been killed in the Knockout game.

A No Brainer for this President? Unfortunately no.

With the job market in the dumps, and the president moving that to the top of his priority list, WOULDN'T GETTING OUT OF THE WAY OF 740,000 JOBS THAT COULD BE CREATED IN THE OIL INDUSTRY BE A NO-BRAINER? WELL, NO.

Much has been made of America's need to drill its own energy to end dependency on foreign petrotyrants. As if that isn't urgent enough, so is the need to create jobs instead of America's steady drip of bad employment numbers.

The latter, now at 9.2%, is rising every month now, as the threat of higher taxes, government growth, closed markets and regulation choke off economic growth.

The U.S. economy must create 100,000-plus jobs just to stay even with those entering the work force, and more still to absorb the 26 million currently unemployed and underemployed. Last month, the sorry story was that the U.S. produced just 18,000 jobs.

PRESIDENT OBAMA, IN HIS BRIEFING MONDAY, INSISTED HE HAD NO HIGHER PRIORITY THAN CREATING JOBS. With falling poll numbers, it seems an alarm clock has finally rung after two years of dithering.

But government doesn't create jobs. Companies do.

Obama will make no headway until he gets serious about clearing paths for jobs to form — not just in his favorite "targeted" industries, such as infrastructure and "green" energy jobs — but in industries where market demand provably exists and companies want to hire.

EXHIBIT A IS THE OIL INDUSTRY, WHICH HAS JUST COME OUT WITH A STUDY SHOWING THAT 190,000 JOBS COULD BE CREATED BY 2013 IF OFFSHORE DEVELOPMENT PERMITS IN THE GULF OF MEXICO WERE RETURNED TO NORMAL LEVELS.

THESE ARE WELL-PAYING JOBS THAT WILL DIRECTLY PUMP $41.4 BILLION THROUGH THE ECONOMY, according to the Quest Offshore report commissioned by the American Petroleum Institute and the National Ocean Industries Association. THE KNOCK-ON JOBS THAT COME OF THAT ARE EXPECTED TO BRING THAT TOTAL TO 430,000.

http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article/578200/201107131848/Oiling-The-Economy.htm

This creates jobs, brings in new taxes to the government, and decreases our dependency on foreign oil. So what in the world are Obama and the left thinking?

Joe Cool? Not anymore

….And now, when the chips are down and his presidency hangs in the balance, we see how this all plays out. OBAMA PAINTS HIMSELF IN HEROIC TERMS, DECRIES HIS OPPONENTS AS OPERATING IN BAD FAITH, FINDS DETAILS INCONVENIENT ( House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) characterizes the presidency slipperiness as “Jell-o”) AND SEEMS TO HAVE QUALMS ABOUT SAYING ONE THING IN PUBLIC (HE’S OFFERING ENTITLEMENT CUTS) AND ANOTHER IN PRIVATE (WHERE ARE THEY?). “Facts” are used as an instrument (the tax hikes are only about millionaires and corporate jets) for getting his way.

Obama, as we saw in the health-care forum when Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) took on the specifics of his health-care plan, ISN’T ALL THAT COMFORTABLE OR EFFECTIVE IN UNSCRIPTED MOMENTS WHEN FORCED TO ARGUE ON THE MERITS. He resorts to name-calling (“the election is over”). And he insists on saying things that just aren’t so (e.g. you can keep your health-care plan under Obamacare). That’s been his style from the time he started campaigning (“you’re likable enough, Hillary”) up to the present. It’s not pretty to watch, and it certainly doesn’t live up to his billing as a man more heroic and honest than us mere mortals.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/post/the-myth-of-obamas-great-temperament/2011/03/29/gIQALFPvDI_blog.html

Obama is coming apart at the seams. He’s over his head, he knows it and we are all getting a glimpse of it as well.

President Sensitivity? Sorry Grandma, you SS check will have to wait

Maybe this is why he picked the arbitrary August 2 deadline to increase the debt ceiling.
HE DOESN’T WANT TO MISS HIS AUGUST 3 BIRTHDAY FUNDRAISER by having to spend time at work dealing with the likes of Eric Cantor. Hey, there are priorities and then there are priorities.

WHICH MEANS THAT ON AUGUST 3, THE VERY DAY OBAMA SAYS HE MAY DECIDE NOT TO SEND OUT SOCIAL SECURITY CHECKS, OBAMA GLADLY WILL BE POCKETING CHECKS FROM CAMPAIGN DONORS.

President Obama returns to Chicago on Aug. 3 to mark his 50th birthday with fund-raisers at the Aragon Ballroom, with tickets ranging from $50 a person to $35,800 per couple, which includes VIP seating at a “Birthday Concert” where celebs will be performing and a dinner with the president.
The fundraiser at the Aragon, the historic ballroom in Uptown, will be one of the biggest third quarter events, expected to draw in national supporters. Obama’s 50th birthday is Aug. 4….

http://legalinsurrection.com/2011/07/huge-obama-birthday-fundraiser-day-after-debt-ceiling-deadline/

Perhaps I should have put this one with the category about Super Bright President, because obviously this is stupid.

Obama and racism

Obama: Arrogance or Petulance

AFTER WATCHING THE PRESIDENT FOR THE PAST 26 MONTHS I HAVE DETERMINED HE HAS TWO NEGOTIATING POSITIONS: ARROGANT AND PETULANT.
When he had majorities in both the House and Senate he was arrogant. Shortly after having been inaugurated Obama held a meeting with Congressional leaders on the subject of the stimulus package. According to a piece in the Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire from January 23, 2009 - a full three days into his term:

"Challenged by Senate Republican whip John Kyl (R-Az) over the contents of the package, the new president, according to participants, replied: 'I WON.'"
Since his policies caused the voting public to rise up in electoral revolt last November tossing Nancy Pelosi out of the Speaker's chair and reducing Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's majority to a tissue paper thin 53-47, OBAMA HAS TAKEN A NEW TACK: PETULANCE.

During the press conference to which Halperin was referring, OBAMA COMPARED THE CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS TO GRAMMAR SCHOOL STUDENTS - specifically his daughters - who leave their homework to the last minute.
Earlier this week he repeated his childish attempts to diminish House and Senate Republicans by TELLING THEM TO "TEAR OFF THE BAND-AID" AND "EAT OUR PEAS" in their discussions over increasing the debt limit.
http://www.mullings.com/07-13-11.htm
Neither of these are attractive traits, but it does give us a glimpse into Obama’s soul.


Racism In The Age Of Obama

Since Barack Obama's inauguration, HIS DEVOTED DEFENDERS HAVE INVOKED RACISM AS THE BASIS FOR THE BITTER OPPOSITION TO HIS LEADERSHIP.

Recent developments, however, make a better case that MUCH OF THE REMAINING SUPPORT FOR THE ADMINISTRATION'S FALTERING LEADERSHIP ACTUALLY STEMS FROM RACIAL FACTORS.

Even before the release of devastating unemployment numbers for June, leading polls showed big majorities convinced that America is headed in the wrong direction. A ZOGBY INTERACTIVE POLL (JULY 1-5) INDICATED THAT ONLY 23 PERCENT OF LIKELY VOTERS BELIEVE WE'RE GOING THE RIGHT WAY, while Rasmussen (June 26-July 2) pegged that number as a mere 26 percent. The two surveys reported nearly identical numbers (67 percent and 68 percent, respectively) who say America is moving the wrong way.

Only one significant segment of the population expresses optimism about the nation's current course and feels undiminished confidence in the president's leadership: Rasmussen reported A STARTLING 58 PERCENT OF BLACK VOTERS WHO THINK AMERICA IS MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. This compares with 24 percent of Hispanics and just 20 percent of whites who agree that the republic's on the proper course.

http://powerwall.msnbc.msn.com/politics/obamas-race-trump-card-1694864.story

I don’t think this is the kind of racism the left was thinking about when they castigated the TEA Party as racists or anyone else who criticized Obama.  But with the AA community, race trumps reality. 



The Debt Ceiling

Republicans are far more unified in their opposition to raising the debt ceiling (60% opposed, 11% in favor) than Democrats are in their support of it (39% in favor, 21% opposed). INDEPENDENTS TILT HEAVILY AGAINST RAISING THE DEBT CEILING, 46% TO 18%, ALTHOUGH 36% HAVE NO OPINION.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/148454/Debt-Ceiling-Increase-Remains-Unpopular-Americans.aspx

This is worrisome. The Democrats are on the losing side of this debate. This means they may cave. But they also may ignore the polls and pretend to have to cut social security payments because of the Republicans. This would hurt the country, but they think it might help their political chances. The people who are holding the gun to the electorates head are the Democrats.

Obama simply doesn’t get it
Asked during his Monday press conference why 69% of Americans in a recent poll indicated they did not want the debt ceiling lifted, PRESIDENT OBAMA SUGGESTED THAT MOST PEOPLE WERE NOT REALLY PAYING ATTENTION TO THE DOWN-TO-THE WIRE NEGOTIATIONS. HE’S WRONG. The entire globe is focused on how the world’s largest economy is going to right itself; so far, the process has been anything but impressive.

PRESIDENT OBAMA HAS RUN INTO A BRICK WALL. IT’S CALLED THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE. The reason he can’t force Republicans to raise the debt ceiling is that he will not countenance a deal that cuts spending but doesn’t raise taxes. HE SEEMS UNABLE TO GRASP THAT 236 REPUBLICANS IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND 41 SENATORS HAVE SIGNED THE TAXPAYER PROTECTION PLEDGE, PROMISING THAT THEY WILL “OPPOSE ANY AND ALL EFFORTS TO INCREASE THE MARGINAL INCOME TAX RATES FOR INDIVIDUALS AND /OR BUSINESSES…and oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits, unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates.”

http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Columns/2011/07/13/America-Is-Paying-Attention-to-the-Debt-Ceiling.aspx

Out of touch?  He has been for his entire presidency and before. 



Obama’s Popularity in Arab World Now Lower than Bush’s

James Zogby, the anti-Israel pollster who released these findings today, blames the drop in support for Obama in the Arab world on Obama’s failure to put the amount of pressure on Israel the Arab world wanted and expected. But ACCORDING TO THE POLL, THE ARAB WORLD DOESN’T SEEM TO BE HAPPY WITH ANY OF AMERICA’S FOREIGN POLICY POSITIONS. RESPONDENTS RATED OBAMA’S POLICIES AS THE LEAST POPULAR, WHEN COMPARED WITH OTHER LEADERS, INCLUDING IRANIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD.

Killing Osama bin Laden also contributed to the Arab world’s negative views of Obama. In all six countries surveyed – Egypt, Morocco, Lebanon, Jordan, the UAE and Saudi Arabia – the majority of respondents said killing bin Laden made them “less favorable toward the U.S.” Notably, in Egypt, only 2 percent said the al Qaeda leader’s death made them view America more positively.

http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2011/07/13/obama%e2%80%99s-popularity-in-arab-world-now-lower-than-bush%e2%80%99s/

It appears Obama’s popularity is falling everywhere.



IPAB: GOP will impose a form of rationing

Republicans say it will impose "rationing." Reform supporters claim it may "transform" the entire health care system. But TOP DEMOCRATS, FEARING A POLITICAL BACKLASH, ARGUED TUESDAY THAT OBAMACARE'S PANEL OF UNELECTED EXPERTS IS NO BIG DEAL.

Under the new health law, the Independent Payment Advisory Board is charged with ensuring that Medicare's costs do not exceed certain targets beginning in 2020. IPAB will have 15 members, nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. THEY WILL BE ABLE TO REDUCE MEDICARE'S REIMBURSEMENT RATES BUT CAN'T CHANGE MEDICARE ELIGIBILITY OR RAISE BENEFICIARIES' PREMIUMS OR COST-SHARING.

IPAB can't deny Medicare patients specific treatments directly. But IT CAN CUT THE RATES MEDICARE PAYS TO HEALTH PROVIDERS.

House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said Tuesday at his committee's IPAB hearing that this is de facto rationing.

"Ultimately, don't you believe there will be a time when Medicare will so dramatically underpay for a service to a provider that they will stop providing the service?" Ryan asked Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. "Isn't that, effectively, rationing?"

SEBELIUS SIDESTEPPED THE QUESTION, ARGUING THAT OBAMACARE WILL DRIVE A "DIFFERENT STRATEGY"THAT IMPROVES QUALITY WHILE LOWERING COSTS.

http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article/578083/201107121845/Dems-ObamaCares-IPAB-No-Big-Deal.htm

This is nonsense from the administration. What do you suppose would happen if the federal government took over all the public schools across the country and to balance the budgets decided to cut the salaries of the teachers. And each year they would review the finances and if the costs were still too high, they would again cut the salaries. Do you think that the best teachers would leave this system? Do you think the quality of the schools would go up or down? Would you think that this was a bad idea?




House Gop’ers Losing Patience with Obama Stall on Solyndra Loan Guarantee Documents

A House Energy and Commerce Committee subcommittee months ago asked President Obama's Office of Management and Budget for documents concerning a $335 million federal loan guarantee given to a politically correct clean energy firm. SOME OF THE DOCUMENTS WERE PROVIDED, BUT MANY MORE HAVE BEEN WITHHELD WITHOUT EXPLANATION.

Making matters worse, Jack Lew, OBAMA'S OMB DIRECTOR, FAILED TO CLEAR THE WAY FOR THE KEY OFFICIAL WITHIN HIS AGENCY ON THE LOAN GUARANTEE - OMB deputy director Jeffrey Zients - TO TESTIFY BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE TO EXPLAIN WHY THE DOCUMENTS HAD NOT BEEN PROVIDED. So committee leaders are now preparing to consider issuing a subpoena.

“After two years of zero oversight of the Obama clean energy programs, our investigation has been an exercise in good government to ensure that billions of taxpayer dollars have been spent wisely," said committee chairman Rep. Fred Upton, R-MI.

"Yet OMB has sought to delay and put off this investigation at every step of the way. Subpoenas would not be necessary if OMB had lived up to its agreement and produced the documents as requested," Upton said….

http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/07/house-gopers-losing-patience-obama-stall-solyndra-loan-guarantee-#ixzz1Ryzk2F3V

Transparency anyone? No I mean it, anyone?


CSU hikes tuition, and boosts a president's salary by $100,000

MINUTES AFTER VOTING TO RAISE STUDENT TUITION BY 12 PERCENT FOR THE FALL, CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY TRUSTEES ON TUESDAY DECIDED THE SALARY FOR A NEW CAMPUS PRESIDENT SHOULD BE $100,000 GREATER THAN HIS PREDECESSOR'S.

Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a board member who voted against both the tuition increase and the compensation package, told his colleagues that the university would damage its public image by raising salary and tuition on the same day.

"I caution us today with these two decisions and I feel compelled to make this point," Newsom said. "There are plenty of people watching, and people we need as supporters."…

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/07/13/3765602/csu-hikes-tuition-and-boosts-a.html#ixzz1Rzfr7m4c

This is a salary increase from $300,000 to $400,000, a 33% increase. Glad to see California is doing so well.

Meanwhile in other California spending stories

THE HIGHEST-PAID STATE EMPLOYEE IN CALIFORNIA LAST YEAR, A PRISON SURGEON WHO TOOK HOME $777,423, HAS A HISTORY OF MENTAL ILLNESS, WAS FIRED ONCE FOR ALLEGED INCOMPETENCE AND HAS NOT BEEN ALLOWED TO TREAT AN INMATE FOR SIX YEARS because medical supervisors don't trust his clinical skills.
Since July 2005, Dr. Jeffrey Rohlfing has mostly been locked out of his job — on paid leave or fired or fighting his termination — at High Desert State Prison in Susanville, state records show. When he has been allowed inside the facility, HE HAS BEEN RELEGATED TO REVIEWING PAPER MEDICAL HISTORIES, WHAT PRISON DOCTORS CALL "MAILROOM" DUTY.
ROHLFING'S $235,740 BASE PAY, TYPICAL IN CALIFORNIA'S CORRECTIONS SYSTEM, accounted for about a third of his income last year. THE REST OF THE MONEY WAS BACK PAY FOR MORE THAN TWO YEARS WHEN HE DID NO WORK FOR THE STATE WHILE APPEALING HIS TERMINATION. A supervisor had determined that Rohlfing provided substandard care for two patients, according to state Personnel Board records.

Rohlfing won that case before the board and was rehired and assigned to "mailroom" work in late 2009….

http://www.fox40.com/news/headlines/la-me-prison-doctor-20110713,0,2806624.story

The problem with common sense these days is it isn’t common.


Fred Thomson: Why I Wish Eric Holder Watched the Anthony Trial

…My read on the case? GUILTY OF MURDER BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT. You don’t make an accident look like a murder, and you don’t place duct tape over the nose and mouth of a child who is already dead. I simply think that you had some jurors like the ones I’ve described. These things happen. People are fallible. OUR SYSTEM IS FALLIBLE.

APPARENTLY OUR OWN PRESIDENT AND ATTORNEY GENERAL DON’T UNDERSTAND THIS. It is with amazement that I read that a Somali terrorist is being imported into the United States to be tried in a U.S. civil court and accorded all the rights of an American citizen — ANYTHING TO KEEP HIM OUT OF GUANTANAMO AND THE MILITARY TRIBUNAL WHERE HE BELONGS.

We gladly run the risk of setting the guilty free in order to protect the rights of American citizens. NOW WE ARE RUNNING THE SAME RISK FOR THE BENEFIT FOR THOSE WITH WHOM WE ARE AT WAR. One principle is as old as our country. The other was invented by this administration. Clearly, they learned nothing from the Casey Anthony trial. Either that or they are willing to run the risk to us all for the sake of their rigid and misinformed ideology.

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/271499/why-i-wish-eric-holder-watched-anthony-trial-fred-thompson

Holder is almost as big a disaster to the Justice Department as Obama is to the country.